The
sample of Ferrari red paint, is contained
in a glass sphere sealed into a PMMA block
(c) ESA 2002

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What
is Red Encounter?

'Red
Encounter' is the name we have given to the momentous meeting due to take
place at the end of 2003 between two 'Red Planets': the planet Mars and
Ferrari.

In May-June
2003, ESA's Mars Express spacecraft will set off on the first European
mission to the Red Planet. On-board will be one of the most outstanding
symbols of European excellence, a sample of Ferrari's famous red paint,
the 'Rosso Corsa', housed in a specially constructed glass globe, known
as FRED.

So how did
the idea for this amazing Red Encounter come about?

Ask anyone
what they know about Mars, and it is very likely that the first thing
they mention will be its red colour. This colour reminded the Romans of
the bloodshed on their battlefields, and so they named the planet after
their god of war. Throughout history, Mars has fascinated men and women.
For many centuries, we have suspected that it resembles Earth more closely
than any other planet. Naturally, therefore, our desire to find out more
about the Red Planet stems from a very real need to learn about the long-term
future of our own.
So, when we were discussing how to bring the important Mars Express mission
to the attention of the general public, the colour of the Red Planet,
its most famous attribute, was an obvious focus. The colour red also immediately
evokes the name of the famous European car manufacturer, Ferrari.

At the beginning
of the twentieth century, the colour red was attributed by the FIA (Fédération
Internationale Automobile) to all Italian Grand Prix racing cars. Today,
even though the black prancing horse, the yellow (signifying the Italian
city of Modena where the Scuderia Ferrari was founded) and the Italian
flag form the emblem of Ferrari, the colour red undoubtedly remains the
most distinctive element of the famous GT street and racing cars.

When it became
apparent that 2002 would also be an outstanding one for the Scuderia Ferrari
with the victory of Michael Schumacher's fifth Formula 1 driver championship
title, we were thrilled that the Ferrari team agreed to fly the symbol
of its success on the Mars Express mission.

So follow
the journey over the next year as the amazing Red Encounter between Mars
and Ferrari draws closer.